Destiny's Gifts
by Muse's Inspiration
Summary: Prophecy brought them together honor kept them apart love made them need each other. Duty will always bring your rewards, just not always when you want them. Crossover with SW, begins with TPM
1. Chapter 1

Title: Destiny's Gifts  
Author: Muse's Inspiration

Archive: Anywhere, just please let me know, ok?

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Prophecy brought them together; honor kept them apart; love made them need each other. Duty will always bring your rewards, just not always when you want them.

Disclaimer: Ahem! I OWN NOTHING! Much as I'd like to claim it, I can't. But at least I came up with the idea on my own… But anyway, they're not mine; I'm only playing with them and will return them only slightly traumatized. I promise.

AN: This is Buffy-centric and Buffy-paired. It is what it is and is nothing more. I'm changing a few things and will note it at either the beginning or end of each chapter. The big thing is that Buffy started having Slayer Dreams (pre-cognition) long before she was ever the Slayer. Secondly, in order to get where I need to go, the events of The Gift and the sequences leading to it have to change slightly. Mainly just the pacing. I'm moving it up a bit. (I'm impatient, dang it!)

Also, anything that is _italicized_ will be a 'sequence' of some sort. Dream, fight, memory, flashback, etc…

That's it! Enjoy and please, read and review!

* * *

"Goodnight, Mommy." 

"Goodnight, Sweetheart."

The little blonde-haired girl blew the older woman a kiss as she pulled the door shut, casting the bedroom into darkness. The little girl snuggled deeper under her covers, cuddling her beloved stuffed pig close to her chest. Her father had given her the pig before he had dropped her off back home and she held it close now, savoring the scent of his cologne on it. Smiling, she drifted off to sleep with memories of her trip to the aquarium ghosting through her mind…

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_"Wake up, child…"_

_The young woman turned towards the voice, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders as she whirled around. She looked around in confusion as she took in the cold, dark emptiness of where she was and the long white silk and lace shift that was now wearing. Shivering from the cold, she wrapped her arms around herself and searched for the source of the voice in the void she found herself in._

_"Who are you? Where are you?" she called out._

_"Look", the voice said, "see…"_

_The girl was suddenly bombarded with images: death, destruction, pain, betrayal… love and the pain that comes with it; honor and duty warring with want and need. And superimposed over all of it was herself, solitary, strong, aching with loneliness._

_As quickly as it started, it stopped, leaving the girl swaying and unsteady. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees in stunned shock as she realized that she had been shown her life. She had seen what she had done to friends, family and loved ones in the name of her duty. The pain hit as the shock wore off and understanding began._

_She began to sob; deep, guttural and heart wrenching, she cried out as she saw that she would sacrifice all for the greater good, and still end up alone._

_After the grief came the anger. She pulled herself up off the floor to her knees and snarled out to the unseen presence, "How dare you! I won't do it! I don't want that life!"_

_"You can't change your destiny, child…"_

_She screamed out in rage._

_But at that moment, she felt a new presence. She suddenly felt comforted and loved like she never had felt before._

_"The road is hard, young one. But your rewards will be great and many. Keep pushing forward. Don't ever give up."_

_With tears in her eyes she shook her head. It was too much and she was too alone. She then felt the impression of strong arms around her. A soft, peaceful voice ghosted through her mind… "You will never be alone, Sweeting. I'm always here. I'm always waiting…"_

_The presence slowly started fading away and whirled around, frantic. As she did, she caught a glimpse of a man slowly disappearing into a slight mist that had developed. As he left, she noticed two things that her heart would never forget. _

_One was that he had the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile she had ever seen. And two, he had the most stunning blue eyes…_

_As he continued to fade away, he held a hand out to her and quietly whispered, "…always, Sweeting…"_

_"…yes…always…" and she reached her hand out as well, tears streaming down her face…_

_-----------------------------------_

"Buffy!"

She snapped out of the dream, confused as she always was when she woke up from it. She had been having the dream since she was a child, but lately it had been getting more intense. She now understood that it was a Slayer Dream that she had been having… but what she didn't understand was how she had been having it since before she became the Slayer.

"Buffy! Will you wake up!"

She finally focused on the voice and came fully awake. Reality fell into place and she looked at Dawn. Her sister had that perpetually annoyed teenager look firmly in place, but Buffy also noticed there was something else going on behind her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Dawn looked away.

"Dawnie, what's wrong?"

Dawn sighed and looked down at the floor. Buffy started feeling the first skitterings of alarm shiver down her spine.

"Dawnie! Tell me! What's wrong!"

Dawn finally looked up at from the floor, tears in her eyes. "Buffy… it's Tara. Glory got to her. She's… not right… Willow's gone after Glory!"

Buffy looked at her sister in horror. All she'd done was lie down for a short nap! She jumped up and started scrambling around the room.

"Buffy! What are you doing!"

She whirled around and looked at Dawn. "This ends tonight. Now. Go hide, Dawnie. Get somewhere safe. I'll find you when it's all over."

"No! I want to help!"

"Dawnie, go! Now! I have to know you're safe!"

Then she gave her little sister a fierce hug and strode out of the room and out of Dawn's life.

Little did the Slayer know, but her life was about to change forever…

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	2. Chapter 2

Title: Destiny's Gifts

Chapter: Chapter 2  
Author: Muse's Inspiration

Archive:Anywhere, just please let me know, ok?

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Prophecy brought them together; honor kept them apart; love made them need each other. Duty will always bring your rewards, just not always when you want them. (Crossover with Star Wars. Begins with TPM)

Disclaimer: See all disclaimers in first Chapter.

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for everyone that has reviewed this for me. I have had this story banging away in my head for a LONG time now and I finally just couldn't contain it anymore. I'm a little nervous about this one, since I don't know much about the Star Wars universe. So just remember, this is MY little universe we're playing in… lol

Also, anything that is _italicized_ will be a 'sequence' of some sort. Dream, fight, memory, flashback, etc…

* * *

__

Kick. Block. Jab. Jab. Duck. Kick. Block. 

It felt to Buffy like the deadly dance had been going on for hours. And maybe it had. She had lost all sense of time since she had gotten word that Ben/Glory had kidnapped Dawn to open the portal. Since that horror-filled moment, Buffy had fought her way through Hell's equivalent that was Sunnydale to find Dawn and now she feared that she might be too late. She could hear Dawn's screams from up on the scaffolding and knew that what little time she had left was quickly dwindling.

-_Smack!-_

She immediately saw stars from where Glory got in a lucky shot. At that point, Buffy and Glory both knew she was tiring and that if she didn't pull something out of her Slayer Bag O' Tricks, Glory would win this fight. That knowledge seemed to spur the Hell Goddess on with renewed vigor. Once again, the deadly dance began, but this time with the oldest living Slayer losing ground.

Suddenly, Glory lunged at her, intent on killing her then and there. Buffy jumped back quickly, but lost her footing on the loose rubble from the destruction of the work site and she lost her footing, causing her to fall backwards, sprawling out on the ground. She found herself looking up at Glory standing over her. Time seemed to slow down; sound faded away, everything seemed focused on the pinpoint of existence that was Glory towering over the Slayer as she watched the Goddess prepare to deliver the deathblow, ending her life.

In those final moments, as Buffy waited for her life to end, she couldn't help but allow the thought to drift across her consciousness: _The dream was wrong. I'm alone. And I don't think I can do this…_

At that same time, as she started to close her eyes for the inevitable, and in a way she couldn't explain, she heard 'his' voice from her dreams ghost through her mind; "_it's not time yet, Sweeting… you're still needed. Open your eyes, Slayer!"_

At the voice's command, Buffy's eyes snapped open and as she did so, her gaze focused above and behind Glory, onto her sister, Dawn.

As she locked eyes with Dawn, Buffy felt a renewed sense of strength flow her like she had never felt before. She ripped her gaze from Dawn to focus on Glory, and did so just in time, as the Goddess was lunging for the final blow. Buffy lashed out with a foot and caught Glory dead in the chest with a kick that had the full force of a Slayer's fury and strength behind it. Buffy smirked at the startled look on the Goddess's face as she flew backwards from the force of the kick.

"Hey!" she began as she flip-kicked herself back onto her feet, "what can I say? You just can't keep a good Slayer down."

"You can't stop me!" Glory snarled.

"You know, that whole 'snarling in rage while taunting the device of your destruction Hell Goddess' look really does nothing for you."

That seemed to enrage Glory even more and seemed to lose all sight of battle tactics and just charged Buffy head on.

From above, Dawn saw Glory charge her sister and knew that the Goddess had just made a fatal mistake. Knowing what was coming, she closed her eyes, but couldn't block the sound of Glory's screams from reaching her; or ignore the sounds of the cries changing to the deeper groans of pain as Ben regained control.

Buffy looked down at Ben, broken and bleeding, and felt numb. She could hear him, begging or crying, she wasn't sure which. All she knew was that things weren't over yet. Because as suddenly as the sense of relief washed over her, it left, riding away on the searing pain as she felt like she was being sliced to pieces. Just as quickly, she heard Dawn's cries become screams of agony. She looked up and saw one of Glory's henchmen doing a slice and dice job on her sister. She didn't even think twice… she turned and left Ben where he was, racing up to her sister. And therefore, didn't see Giles step out of the shadows, reach for Ben, and handle the Glory situation in true 'Ripper' style.

Buffy fought her way up the tower and didn't even pause when she reached the little monster who was torturing her sister. But as quickly as she removed the threat, she saw that she was too late. The portal had opened and the merge had begun.

Over the sound of the rushing wind and the howls of the creatures who were trying to become one with the new dimension, Buffy could hear Dawn screaming for her attention. But things were starting to click into place in Buffy's mind… _the pain of Dawn's cuts being felt by her, the portal needing blood to open and close it, the Key being made of Slayer flesh and blood…_

"It's the blood! It has to have the blood!" Dawn screamed.

Buffy looked at Dawn, pulled her close and told her everything she ever wished she have told her before now.

Everyone heard Dawn's cries for Buffy to stop and none could believe what they were seeing as they watched the Slayer run and do a perfect dive off of the platform.

As she reached the portal, entering the brightly flowing light that was coming from it, she felt 'his' presence again. Time, once again, slowed down and everything focused on just the two of them, as his beautiful, peaceful voice caressed her.

_-Is it time?-_

_-Yes, Sweeting… now it's time… I'm waiting…-_

_-I'm afraid…-_

_-I'm here…-_

_-I know…-_

_-…always, Sweeting…-_

_-…yes… always…-_

And then, in a brilliant flash, Buffy disappeared, leaving behind all she had fought so hard to protect. The Slayer had made the ultimate sacrifice, and displayed the one thing that no other Slayers before her ever had: Completely selfless love.

------------------------------------------

_She was floating, soft and safe, in a warmth she didn't think she'd ever felt before. She was there, hanging in a limbo of awake and asleep, for some time before she heard the sounds of an argument._

_"She wasn't supposed to do that!" a male voice said._

_"Well, it happened. Now we have to deal with it." Another male, somewhat familiar, said._

_"But it was supposed to be the Key that went through the portal!" a female voice chimed in._

_"Irregardless, we have her here now." The second voice said._

_"Send her back." The first voice stated firmly._

_Buffy could feel the stunned shock of the other two over the statement._

_"She died saving all of humanity in an act of selflessness and love. We can't just send her back to that hellhole!" the second voce finally exclaimed._

_  
"Well, what do you recommend?" the female voice asked._

_"She's been one of our greatest warriors. She has sacrificed all for her duty! She shouldn't just be cast out!"_

_"She's been your 'pet' since she was a child, Whistler! You've been meddling where you shouldn't have… and now we have someone here who shouldn't even BE here!" the first voice argued._

_"Please," Whistler begged, "she's given up so much. She's different from the others… let her have a choice."_

_The silence after the plea was deafening._

_"What you are asking for is unprecedented. She can't return to this plane. It would upset the balance."_

_"I have a suggestion…" the female interjected._

_"Yes?" the first questioned._

_"Our brothers and sisters have a quandary. They have a prophecy, but none to fulfill the whole of it. It states that a Chosen One not from there shall arrive. That could be her, you know…"_

_Several murmurs and sighs later, the first voice spoke. "Agreed. She could very well be The One. But meddling with prophecy is never a good thing… The Slayer shall go, as the prophecy states, but her fate is her own. Her gifts are hers, she's earned them, but she can receive no further assistance from us once she arrives. You will guide her, Whistler, to the knowledge of the Prophecy. From there, and this is absolute, you will interfere no more."_

_"Thank you, Your Graces."_

_"I fear she will not be so thankful…" the first voice said quietly._

_"She will." Whistler said, "More than you will ever know…"_

_"Go, demon. Take her to her new home. And remember, no interference. Our brothers and sisters do not take well to meddling in their domain."_

_-------------------------_

Suddenly, Buffy found herself standing in a stark white room. She was wearing the white shift from her dreams. She looked and saw the demon and couldn't help the feeling of dismay that came over her.

"Why are you here, Whistler?"

"Slayer, I'm making sure that you get the reward you should have. You're going someplace where you have a say… You make the decisions for your life."

"What do I have to do?"

"Just find, guide and help The Chosen One. That's it. You're not battling demons. You're not stopping Apocalypses… You just have to make sure that the Chosen One survives to bring balance. You'll have some help. The Powers won't like it, but I'm going to send you in blind. I'm not a total bastard, Kid."

She stayed quiet.

"Trust me, Kid. Give it a chance. I think you'll like it there."

She still didn't say anything.

Whistler sighed and pointed behind her. "There are two doors. Left, is a new life and a fresh start. Right, you sleep. It's your choice, Slayer. It's your life. But you have to choose now."

Buffy turned and there were suddenly two doors before her. She was overwhelmed with indecision and fear. She remembered when she was a child and her parents were going through the divorce, she had been so confused. She had run to her mother, crying, not wanting the changes to happen. Her mother had wrapped her up in her arms and told her, "it'll be fine, Buffy. You're very special. You're strong. The hardest thing to do in this world is to live in it. All life is, is one change after another. Don't be afraid of it, Sweetheart. For every door that closes, a new one opens that is full of opportunities. Wonderful things come from change."

Without looking back, Buffy strode through the door on the left. She didn't see the small smile on the demon's face, or the blonde woman who now stood next to him.

"I was a little worried at first." She said.

"Don't worry, Joyce. The kid's strong. You taught her to be. She'll be fine."

"Thank you, Whistler."

"For what?"

Joyce smiled towards the door where her daughter had walked through. "For getting her this chance."

"She's earned it… now let's see what she does with it."

Then he turned and offered Joyce his arm, which she hooked hers through and they walked away, both thinking of the young blonde girl they had just helped set free…


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Destiny's Gifts

**Chapter:** Chapter 3  
**Author:** Muse's Inspiration

**Archive:** Anywhere, just please let me know, ok?

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary:** Prophecy brought them together; honor kept them apart; love made them need each other. Duty will always bring your rewards, just not always when you want them. (Crossover with Star Wars. Begins with TPM)

**Disclaimer:** See all disclaimers in first Chapter.

**Author's Notes:** OK, look, I'm sorry at how long it's taking for my updates to come out these days. It's called a raging case of Writer's Block. We're not going to talk about how many freakin' times I've rewritten this chapter to get this dang story to go where I want it to go. I'd think I had it, and then when I'd sit to start the next chapter, I'd be like "Hold up! Now how in the hell am I going to get _there_ from where I am?" Sigh This is a difficult story to write, but once I get through the intro chapters, it'll go a lot easier. Thanks for sticking through all of this with me! 

Also, anything that is _italicized_ will be a 'sequence' of some sort. Dream, fight, memory, flashback, etc…

**And one last note, a fully formatted version of this is now on my website. You will be able to see what Whistler's letter really looks like… **

"Ok, I just wanna put it on record that I think this is a really bad idea." The blonde Slayer stated.

"It's been duly noted." The younger dark-haired girl said.

"I mean, on the Top Ten List of Bad Ideas, this takes spots one through three."

"I know where you stand on this, all right? You've advise me fully. Whatever happens from this point, I will accept full responsibility."

"Padmè, that's really generous and all, but when Panaka gets ready to give an ass chewing, who do you think will get it? You, the Queen… or me, the Bodyguard?"

Silence greeted the question.

"That's what I thought."

-_Splash!-_

Buffy whirled around with her heart in her throat, just in time to see Padmè's head disappear below the surface of the water, only to reappear a moment later further towards the middle of the lake.

"Padmè Naberrie! You get back here!"

The girl just laughed and proceeded to lazily swim towards the center, relishing the coolness of the lake on contrast to the heat of the summer day.

Buffy watched her young charge swim about in the water and felt the sweat trickle down the back of her neck and under the collar of her shirt. When she'd agreed to be Padmè's bodyguard at her mother's request, she never dreamed it'd be like watching over Dawn and Xander combined. Compulsive, impulsive, belligerent teenager attitude combined with the innate ability to find trouble and expedite Murphy's Law… Buffy knew she had more gray hair at twenty than was her actual right.

She looked about the scene and couldn't help the small smile from forming. Naboo really was a beautiful place to call home, and Theeds was nothing like the capital cities that she used to back home. Her new home was safe, peaceful and clean. Even Padmè's overzealous teenaged tendencies were a welcome change to her old life of Slaying and stopping Apocalypses.

It was always green on Naboo. On the two and a half years that she had been serving the Naberrie family, she had not had to worry about much of anything. She had been found by Padmè, taken in by her family, pretty much adopted as one of them (they had even insisted that she use their last name, to make things easier for her) and had created a life for herself that she never thought she'd be allowed to have. She had taken a huge leap of faith in Whistler when she had gone through that door, but found that he'd been right; she did like it here.

Now, if only she could get the wayward Queen reclothed, back to the palace, into her ceremonial clothes and all without the stick-up-the-ass Captain seeing them… life would be just about perfect.

But for now, she'd give Padmè a few minutes. She was only fifteen and had the weight of the world, literally, on her shoulders. Buffy knew what that was like. That was one of the main reasons that Padmè's mother had begged for Buffy to go with her daughter when she had been elected Queen. Buffy had told the older woman of her past life, what she had been. She knew that the young blonde girl would understand Padmè the best. And so, here she was, against her better judgment, letting the young Queen have a few moments of impulsive fun.

She was _so_ going to get an ass ripping for this.

Keeping a careful eye on the scenery, listening to Padmè splash and swim, Buffy allowed her thoughts to drift back to the time when she had first arrived to her new life and home…

--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--

"…_you sleep. But you have to choose now."_

_Free. She could make her own decisions, her own choices. She wouldn't be a puppet any longer. If she wanted to be a waitress, she could be. If she wanted to be a street bum, she could be. It was all up to her. But at the same time, while it was beckoning her, it was also a frightening prospect. Who would she be now, if not Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer, Defender Against Evil, Averter of Apocalypses?_

_She didn't even know who she was._

_She had not had a choice in so long, she wasn't sure that knew how to make one. She hadn't had a say when her parents divorced. She hadn't had choice when she was told by Merrick that she was now the Slayer. She hadn't been consulted when it was decided they were moving to Sunnydale. All of her relationships, she hadn't had a say in, whether the relationship was ending or she was having to kill the other person. The same held with her friendships. She hadn't had a choice when her mother died. She'd been forced into taking on the mantle of full adulthood and caring for Dawn, making sure bills were paid… She hadn't really had a choice when it came to jumping off of that tower. Dawn still had her whole life ahead of her; the Scoobies knew how to patrol. She couldn't let Dawn end a life that had just, quite literally, started. So, she took the only option available; she made the sacrifice and jumped._

_Now she was being told she'd have a fresh start on life. She'd be like a regular adult and make choices that would affect her life, not the fate of the world. That was frightening. She wasn't sure if she could live with these changes._

_But then her mother's words from so long ago echoed through her memories. "Wonderful things come from changes." Mustering up all of her courage, she squared her shoulders and walked through that door on the left, into a whole new life._

_When she went through that door, she felt like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. She experienced life in a manner most, if not all, never would. The only way to describe it would be that in that time of transition from limbo to New World, she experienced her own conception, development, labor and birth, her growing up through Slayerhood and the development of those abilities; all in a matter of moments. Her memories flash forwarded through her mind like a rapid download of data. The whole experience left her weak, unconscious and therefore, unable to move. Just the echoing words of Whistler kept going through her mind:_

_  
"You lost too much, the last two years. I'm having them give you that time back. Make the most of it, Slayer. You won't get another chance like this again…"_

_That's how she was when Padmè found her. The young girl had been shortcutting through a field to get home before one of Naboo's infamous thunderstorms hit and didn't even see the figure laying half-buried in the underbrush of the berry bushes until she stumbled over her. Padmè almost screamed in terror, until she noticed that the blonde girl was breathing. She immediately commed her mother, who sent help. When they arrived, they loaded the unconscious girl into the transport, carefully making sure that they didn't disturb her. As Padmè got ready to get in next to the girl, she noticed a large sack of some sort half hidden under some nearby bushes. Going on instinct, she grabbed the bag and tossed it in with them, then proceeded to climb in next to the slightly shivering girl._

_She was unconscious for two days. When she finally came to, it was to a robot taking a blood sample. Buffy had never been a good sick person and waking up to a mechanized thing brought out every self-preservation instinct that she possessed._

_She kicked out with a bare foot, connecting solidly with the droid in its chest. She winced in pain as her foot caused the metallic chest to cave in, but she ignored the pain as she proceeded to roll to the opposite side of the bed, drop to the floor and end in a crouch, quickly scanning the room for exits. Spying a corner exit that appeared to lead outside, Buffy stood up, surveyed the wreck that had been the droid and launched herself over the corner of the bed, landed on her feet and sprinted towards the exit, full tilt._

_At which point she discovered that gravity works the same no matter where you are as it soon became apparent that the exit was actually at the head of the stairs that led to a central courtyard._

_She tumbled down the stone staircase, feeling an arm break as she did. The pain literally caused stars to flare in her sight and by the time she reached the bottom, she was in so much pain that she could only wish that she had died. Thankfully, blackness welcomed her and slipped into it._

_Alerted by the crash of metal from when the droid had hit the floor, two of the female servants raced into the room just in time to see the blonde race out of the exterior entry and lose her balance. Screaming in alarm, Lanjo, the younger servant raced out the door and down the steps after the girl she had just seen plummet down the steps, her stomach in her throat and her heart pounding, afraid of what she would find at the bottom of the steps._

_She stumbled to a halt at the bottom, almost plunging down the last few steps herself as she tripped getting down to the bottom in her haste. She reached the girl lying, broken and bleeding, and dropped to her knees next to her. Tears streaming down her face and nausea working its way to the back of her mouth, Lanjo reached out and gently touched the back of the side of her neck, feeling for a pulse._

_She almost fainted when she felt the girl take a breath._

_Looking up, she saw Mabad, the housekeeper, start making her way down the steps as fast as her old joints would allow. Blinking, Lanjo realized only a few moments had passed; although it felt like an eternity._

_As Mabad approached, Lanjo yelled up to her, "She's alive! Gods only know how… We need help, quickly!"_

_Mabad nodded and pulled out the household communicator quickly summarized the situation to the person who answered it and within moments a second medical droid appeared and began assessing the young girl lying once again unconscious before them._

_With the help of two male servants and the droid, they were able to get the girl safely back up to the medical room, where the droid began working on her. By that time, Padmè and her mother had arrived and wanted to know the situation. They were dismayed at the damage the girl had sustained._

_The fall had all but crushed her left arm, having taken multiple fractures and breaks. Her right ankle was broken as well as her collar bone. But what concerned them the most were the six fractured vertebrae in her back and neck. Even with advanced technology, there were no guarantees with the magnitude of the injuries. Adding insult to injury, she also had a massive concussion, multiple sprains and bruises and had dislocated her knee._

_It was a miracle that she was still alive._

_It would take another miracle for her to survive._

_Survive she did, however. Lanjo stayed with her night and day. When she finally came out of the injury induced coma on the fifth night, it was to wake up to Lanjo lying with her head on the bed. It didn't look any more comfortable that she felt._

_Lanjo felt the bed shift and quickly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked and sure enough, the girl had her eyes open, looking at her questioningly. Lanjo smiled at her, trying to put her at ease._

"_It's OK. Don't be alarmed. My name is Lanjo Jadet. I was the one who found you… do you remember what happened?"_

_The girl made a motion with her hand. Lanjo interpreted that to mean 'no'._

"_You were startled when you woke up. You ran out the entry into the courtyard, but you didn't know there were steps. You fell the whole way down. We didn't think you'd make it."_

_Buffy just stared at Lanjo._

"_You're healing surprisingly fast, but your injuries were extensive. To be quite honest, I don't know how you survived!"_

_Lanjo paused long enough to look at her. "We didn't know if there was someone to contact or not. You don't appear to have an identification chip anywhere on you… what's your name? Do you have any family?"_

_Silence. The girl was so still, she didn't even seem to breathe as they watched each other._

"… _Buffy…" she croaked out._

"_Excuse me?" Lanjo asked._

_Buffy made the motion for a drink of water and Lanjo quickly helped her. After she had her fill, she waved it away slightly. She licked her lips, trying to ease their dryness._

"_Buffy. My name is Buffy. And I don't have any family around here."_

"_Oh."_

_Thus began Buffy's life within the Naberrie household. Padmè came and greeted her and brought with her the satchel that she had discovered when she found Buffy in the field. After spending a few moments talking to her, Padmè left to take care of some duties assigned to her by her mother and Buffy was left alone with the bag._

_She dug through it and almost started crying. Apparently Whistler had held true to his promise and had provided for her. There were several changes of clothes, matching what the locals wore; her favorite bath items, a solar powered iPod that held over 80GB of music, pictures of her family and several miscellaneous personal items including Mr. Gordo. After she pulled all of the clothes out, she discovered a medium sized wooden box. She pulled it out and opened it and her breath caught at the sight that was before her._

_Inside were two beautifully crafted daggers. When she picked them up, she could tell that they had been perfectly balanced for her hands. They both had sheaths made for them so that she could easily conceal them upon her person._

_As she was admiring to craftsmanship of the knives, she noticed that there was something else in the box. As she looked closer, she realized it was a piece of parchment. When she pulled it out and opened it up, she soon discovered that it was a note written in Whistler's flowing script._

_Slayer,_

_Although you may no longer be destroying the creatures of Darkness, a warrior should always have their own weapons. These were made exclusively for you. You are going to a new world and a new life, but never forget who you are or where you came from._

_There will be times when you are not sure if you have made the right decisions or the correct choices. Just remember to always follow your instincts; listen to your sense and you will always do fine._

_You have been given a rare chance. Take it, embrace it, live it to its fullest. All rewards will come in time. If anyone deserves to be gifted of the Gods, it will be the one Slayer who saw past her duty and learned to love and to make the sacrifices needed to be human, not Superhuman._

_Follow your dreams, live your life. All will be taken care of here. None will want and your sister will be fine. You are free now._

_Respectfully Yours,_

_Whistler_

_Your Friendly Neighborhood Balancer_

_After allowing her time to heal, Padmè's mother approached Buffy about working within the household. There was something about her that she just couldn't put her finger on… but she knew she wanted to help her. Buffy knew she needed the help and gladly accepted the gesture. She developed a strong friendship with Lanjo and the two could often be found after the daily duties were done, laughing and spending time together._

_What surprised everyone however was the relationship that developed between Padmè and Buffy. The young girl looked to Buffy for advice and she became a surrogate mentor. Buffy was the only one who could get through her innate stubbornness and make the younger girl see reason most times. Combining that with the skills in defense that Buffy had displayed at various times, it was no mystery as to why Padmè's mother approached her and begged her to accompany Padmè when she became Queen._

_Almost a year later, Buffy was counting the days till Padmè's term was up._

--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--

The beep of her comm unit broke her out of her reverie and made her aware of her surroundings again. Padmè was still swimming and all seemed well… but something suddenly had Buffy on edge. Something was… off…

"Padmè!" she called as she reached for her comm unit, "out of the water now! We need to get back to the palace!" She groaned when she saw who was contacting her. "Yes, Captain?"

"The Queen needs to be back at the palace now. A blockade has been enforced by the Federation. They are requesting that Amidala speak with them as soon as possible."

'_Great.'_ She thought to herself. '_Let the politics begin.'_


	4. Author Note 1

**Title:** Brief Explanation

**Author:** The Muse

* * *

I would just like to take a few moments and let you all know that I appreciate your continued support and the generous reviews that you all have been giving to me and my work.

Therefore, I'd like to explain a few things:

1. I am going on a brief hiatus from writing. There have been a lot of personal issues going on in my life and I find that I am not able to concentrate and produce the quality of work that I would like to see myself giving you all. I am also, due to everything going on in my life, suffering a massive does of writer's block and find myself completely stymied as to how to go about getting my story where I want to see it going. But don't worry. I have every intention and am making plans to continue my latest sagas and will complete them, I assure you!

2. During this hiatus, I will be working extensively on my two new websites. The first one is The Muse's Playground ( http/ ) and the second one will be my new archives site, The Muse's Archives ( http/ ). I have found new web tools and I find it very relaxing to sit and design (and redesign) my sites. One day, I may even decide on a final format!

But I just wanted to let you all know that I am not leaving you flapping in the wind, wondering what the characters are going to do next. I have a plan, I just need some time to get my thoughts straight and get motivated to do the writing again.

Thank you,

The Muse


	5. Author Note 2

I'm baaaaaaaaaackkkkkkkk!

Did you miss me!

Yeah, right. laugh!

Anyways, I now have both of my sites up. My personal site, The Muse's Playground, is fully up and operational with only a few things needing to be added to it.

My other site, The Muse's Archives, still needs some construction, but it's mainly just adding all of the stories to it.

You can find the links located in my Profile Page here on the site.

So, if you get a chance, go take a look, poke around and let me know what you all think.

Also, I have a special treat for you all… this weekend (Oct. 1, 2005) I will be updating BOTH Darkness is a Friend of Mine and Destiny's Gifts! It's a two-fer!

See… and you thought I was just wasting this time playing with the HTML, didn't you?

Update this weekend!

-The Muse


	6. Chapter 4

**Title:** Destiny's Gifts

**Chapter:** Chapter 4

**Author:** Muse's Inspiration

**Rating:** PG-13

**Archive:** Anywhere, just please email me first and let me know, ok?

**Summary:** Prophecy brought them together; honor kept them apart; love made them need each other. Duty will always bring your rewards, just not always when you want them. (Crossover with Star Wars. Begins with TPM)

**Disclaimer:** See all disclaimers in first Chapter.

**Authors Notes:** So… I bet that you all thought that I would never get another chapter out, huh? It's ok if you though that… sometimes I felt like that too. I really do appreciate you all hanging in there with me, though. I get so caught up in planning where I want to story to go, that I lose sight of how to get there and just kind of flounder out. Plus, after much begging and pleading, my husband has finally convinced me to sit down in my free time and start my original work. We already have someone interested in it based on my first chapter… so who knows…? laugh Keep your fingers crossed. Irregardless as to what happens there, I will not, and I make you this promise now, leave these stories unfinished (Destiny's Gifts and Darkness is a Friend of Mine). I promise I will finish them!

Now, on with the installment of the Buffy in Star Wars saga…

* * *

"C'mon… I just want to hear you say it. Just once."

"Not right now. There's too much still to do."

"It'll just take a second. It won't hurt too much, I promise."

"I really don't have time for this…"

"Look, I just wanna –ow! Would you watch it! That hurts! - I just wanna hear it one time, Lanjo. C'mon!"

"Fine…"

"…"

"…"

"…well?"

"Shush! This is surprisingly difficult. Who knew…?"

"…"

"OK, OK, OK…" heavy sigh. "You were right. I was wrong. I should have listened to you, done what you said and all would have been well."

"… and?"

"And, what?"

"…you know what."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"Um, and thank you for saving my non-good advice taking life."

"See? That didn't hurt that much now did it?"

"Buffy?"

"Yes, Lanj?"

"Shut up."

"Fine. Be that way. Next time, I'll just leave you to be taken hostage then. At least then I won't get shot."

"You won't leave me. Anymore than I would leave you."

"Uh huh. And why are you so sure about that?"

"Because, B… I'm your best friend. Besides, who else would tolerate your crankiness right now?"

"Well excuse me for being cranky! You try getting shot by a weapon that could put a hole in you at a thousand yards and see how chipper _you_ are!"

"I don't know what you're complaining about… you're still alive aren't you?"

"…"

"Well?"

"Lanjo?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Lanjo walked out of the medical cabin, laughing the whole time while Buffy frantically looked around for something to throw at the back of her head. She winced at the stab of pain in her shoulder and looked at the man that was tending to her.

He was older, probably around Giles' age, with longer hair that came down to his shoulders and he had a kind face. But like Giles, his eyes said it all. He had seen and done a lot. As she watched him move around the room, she noted that he moved with the contained grace that a warrior who had fought too much always had. Even though she had never met one before, Buffy knew he was a Jedi and he would be a formidable fighter. Caged tigers always knew one of their own.

"So…" she started, "seeings how you are taking care of me and all… I guess we should be introduced, huh? I'm Buffy Naberrie. And it's a _very_ distant relation to the Queen. When I'm not injured, thanks to ungrateful best friends, I'm the head of the Queen's personal bodyguards. And you are…?" She looked at him in quiet interest.

"My name is Master Qui-Gon Jinn. You may call me Qui-Gon."

"Qui-Gon…" she shook her head. "I guess normal names are just not the norm around here no matter where you go." She sighed, "Oh well. So anyways, how bad is the shoulder and where are we going and how long will it take to get there?"

Qui-Gon tried to puzzle out the first part of her observation, but decided to answer the questions first. "You took a blaster shot at point-blank range, as you know. Most would lose the use of their arm permanently. You, however, seem as if you will eventually recover from the wound. Were you wearing some sort of armor?"

She shook her head no and shifted a little. He filed that information away for later.

"While the wound is grave, you appear that you will recover from it. But you must not strain the injury. You could cause the muscles more damage."

She nodded in understanding.

"As for where we are going, it seems that we have taken some damage during our escape. We must stop for repairs or we will not make it to the Capitol. The closest place to us that may have the parts that we need is a plant called Tatooine. That is where we are going first."

"So… how long are we looking at being on this ship?" Buffy asked.

"At least four days to Tatooine. Then the repairs. Then approximately five days to Coruscant." He noted the tenseness of the young girl. "I am going to presume you do not like space travel?"

"I've never flown well…" she grumbled.

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Then you and my Padawan would get along well. Obi-Wan doesn't like to fly either."

"Smart guy."

Qui-Gon cleaned up the medical supplies and then turned to Buffy. He could tell there was a great deal more to her than he was seeing. Everything about her, from her controlled movements to the way she was handling the pain of her injury told him that she was someone who was used to combat and injuries. She was someone who bore watching. He would advise his Padawan to keep an eye on her as well. His instincts told him that things were about to get very interesting.

After he left, Buffy settled back on the lab bed and tried to get some rest, but her nerves were too wound up. Between the invasion, their aborted attempt at escape, their subsequent rescue, her being injured while going back for Lanjo, making it to the hangar and barely making it through the offensive blockade, her nerves were stretched as taut as a bow string and she knew that she couldn't relax. Just as she was bout to get up and go find Lanjo to torment for a while, the door opened and in walked her nightmare made flesh.

Jar Jar Binks had come to town.

It wasn't like he was a bad… whatever he was. But in the short hours Buffy had known him, she had determined that she had pissed off The Powers somehow and Jar Jar was her punishment. How anything that annoying and accident prone had survived to this point as beyond her.

She winced at the din of noise as he proceeded to knock over everything he came within ten feet of. How someone could knock over a cabinet that was bolted to the floor, she would never know. But Jar Jar managed it.

As she watched him try to clean up his mess and she saw the many sharp implements that we starting to head her way, her self-preservation instincts kicked in.

"Jar Jar."

He kept up his chaos inducing activities.

"Jar Jar!"

He bent down and tried to pick up a tray that he had dropped, but stepped on the lip of it, which caused it to snap up and smack him in the head causing him to stumble backwards into another cabinet.

"Jar Jar!"

He spun around to catch the other cabinet, but one of his ears caught the edge of the tray that Qui-Gon had set on it, which caused it to go air born, straight at Buffy's head. She snatched the tray just in time and calmly, she really should get a special place in Heaven for not killing him right there, and placed the tray on her lap. She looked at Jar Jar, glanced around the med lab and saw nothing but a torture chamber as long as he was in there. Maintaining calm, she said, "Jar Jar… please, I need rest. Do you think you could come back later?"

"No problemo, missy. De Queen's friend, Lanjo, she asked me to come and check on you. Butch you looksa fine to me."

Buffy sat there stewing. So, Lanjo set her up then? That's ok… payback's a bitch and as the Slayer she was honor bound to make sure she got her rat fink friend back for this one. However, her thoughts were abruptly cut short as Jar Jar turned towards the door, caught his foot in the power cord to the portable surgical lamp which jerked off the counter. As Jar Jar stumbled to get it, he ended up punting it with the top of his foot, causing Buffy to combat roll off her bed and onto the floor, landing directly on her injured shoulder, all to avoid being beened in the head by the lamp. When the stars cleared from her vision, she saw red. She struggled to her feet, breathing heavily through the pain and focused on the cause of all that was unholy and destructive.

Jar Jar stood there, staring at Buffy as she rose up from the opposite side of the bed in all her warrior glory. Her long, blonde hair tangled about her shoulders, her uniform cut to bare her injury and blood thirst in her eyes, she was truly a sight to behold.

"Get. Out."

"Excuise me?"

"I said: Get. Out."

"But…"

At that point, she lost it, launched herself over the bed and started after Jar Jar, intent in getting his scrawny neck between her hands.

Apparently even Jar Jar had survival instincts and turned and ran out of the medical lab, shrieking about the mad woman after him. Close on his heels came the blonde terror, focused on nothing but destroying the Menace of Naboo… and maybe throttling Lanjo, too… just to add some fun in the mix.

As she chased after Jar Jar through the ship, everything was going fine until she got to Engineering. That's when she suddenly remembered she was in stockinged feet and the floor in Engineering was cold, smooth metal. And that's where she met Obi-Wan Kenobi… if sliding on your back and crashing into the Jedi's legs could be called an introduction.

As she lay there in a tangle of arms, legs, curses and a haze of pain, she became aware that someone was calling her name. She looked over and saw Qui-Gon squatting next to her with a look of concern. Mentally shaking her head to clear the din, she focused on the man. Seeing that she was, for the most part, all right, he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "Are you all right?"

Groaning, still on her back, Buffy blearily looked around. "Did I get it? Is it gone?"

"No." Qui-Gon answered. "But I don't think the gunjan will bother you for a bit. I do believe you scared him."

"Dammit, I must be slipping… I'll have to try harder next time."

"Not to be rude…" a new voice broke in, "but you _are_ sitting on the lower part of my back. It's quite painful. Do you think we could change the seating arrangements?"

"Oh!" Buffy attempted to jump off, but couldn't stop the gasp of pain when she pulled her shoulder again. "I'm sorry. God… I think I'm going to be sick…" she said as she held a hand to her mouth.

"Obi-Wan, this is Buffy Naberrie. Buffy, this is Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon made the introductions.

"Umph…" she said from behind her hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you, milady." Obi-Wan said and held out his hand.

At which time Buffy promptly proceeded to throw up all over Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and the floor and then passed out.

Qui-Gon looked at his Padawan who was looking at his robes like he wanted to burn them.

"I don't think she handles the pain medications too very well." Qui-Gon stated wryly.


	7. Chapter 5

**Title:** Destiny's Gifts – Chapter 5

**Author:** Muse's Inspiration

**Feedback:** Please! I love it and live for it!

**Disclaimer:** See first chapter.

**Author's Notes:** OK, OK, OK… In my defense, it's been a rough little while. My oldest daughter came down with viral pneumonia, my mother-in-law as diagnosed with early stage Emphysema and my husband's grandmother had a brain aneurysm. All in all, it's been a rough year so far. I hope things settle some.

On another note, for those of you who have read ANY of my other stuff (not that I mean anything by that… lol) will recognize the opening sequence here. Yes, it's a rework of a previous piece of mine. It was something that I started a long time ago and just never went anywhere with. I started reading some of my old work when I was suffering a massive case of Writer's Block and I was like… "Hey! – that's what I need to lead into my next section of the story!" Thus, the new chapter of Destiny's Gifts!

So, enjoy and I will soon post the next part!

* * *

__

Two there shall be; one near and one far. 

_One shall bring chaos, one shall bring balance._

_Two Chosen to battle their demons._

_One shall Guide, one shall Follow._

_Destinies entwined, gifts received and taken;_

_Beware of the darkness, else all shall be forsaken._

* * *

She awoke screaming, clawing away at the unconsciousness that had held her prisoner for an unknown length of time and desperate to escape the chorus of voices that kept repeating the words of Chosen Ones over and over. She gasped for breath and opened her eyes only to find darkness; darkness so deep that nothing could penetrate it. It was such an intense darkness that even warmth and heat were absent. 

Shivering and quaking, she stood and found that she was thus far unharmed. Standing still, she took stock of her surroundings and found that neither light, nor glimmer of gloom disturbed the oppressing blackness around her. Fighting back the oppressing fear that was threatening to overwhelm her, she began walking, hands stretched out in front of her, looking for the edge of the room. Feeling her way with her feet, fearing that she would fall into an abyss even worse than this nightmare that she found herself in, she began to suspect she was walking in circles when she did not come into contact with a wall, a passage, a door, nothing.

As was human nature, the need to mark the passage of time was paramount. She began to silently count to herself, marking time in the way that she could in this purgatory as she slowly and carefully made her way forward. The cold was starting to affect her, causing her to shake with the chill and possibly shock and fear. It was so biting; this chill, that it almost felt damp and she began to fear not only what was in the dark, but suffering from hypothermia as well.

After counting to a point where she could no longer keep track of her numbers, she almost screamed when her hands finally came into contact with something. Jumping back, she almost fell onto her backside but caught herself in time. Edging forward, her fingers brushed the surface again. Feeling it, learning its texture, she discovered that it was metal, this wall. Metal so smooth, it felt wet. It seemed to slope in a curve upwards over her. Without the aid of light, it was impossible to tell, however.

Holding one hand to the wall and using it as a guide, she began to make her way around, attempting to locate a door. But as she continued on, she began to see what her mind had tried to hide:

Wherever she was, she wasn't getting out. There was no door, there was no exit. She had been put here and she wasn't the one that was going to be getting herself out.

As the reality of her situation began to sink in, she could feel the panic and the scream begin to build in her chest and choke in her throat. Sinking to the floor, blind to all that was around her, darkness included, she began to retreat into her mind. Finally, unable to stand the silence and isolation anymore, she sank into the blackening unconsciousness once again, retreating from all that her mind forced on her.

…and that was when the real nightmare began.

* * *

He watched the blonde girl where she lay on the lay on the medical bed. She had been as still and silent as death since she passed out on him and his Master a day and a half prior. He personally would rather be forced into a room full of Jar-Jar's than be around the female who deposited her half-digested dinner all over his robes… but when Qui-Gon told you to do something, Obi-Wan had learned it was usually best to just ahead and get it over with and do it. Hence, he was in here watching her do nothing, rather than going into the town to get the parts that were needed for the ship. Tomorrow, Qui-Gon would be getting off if the ship onto nice, safe, solid ground, while he, Obi-Wan, would be babysitting the sleeping dead. 

It was a good thing he was trained in the Jedi ways; otherwise, he'd be gearing up for a serious sulk.

Obi-Wan sighed and turned towards where the only chair in the room was located. He figured he may as well get settled in for a nice, long, very boring trip. But as he turned, his gaze passed over the readings on the medical screen near the young girl. He did a double-take and stepped closer.

"Oh dear…" he murmured to himself. "I have a bad feeling about this…" he said and began to look through the logs, becoming more and more concerned as he did so.

He was going to have to contact Qui-Gon.

* * *

Qui-Gon was dozing in a chair in the Commons Area when he felt his Padawan's anxiety suddenly wash over him. It wasn't so much that worry that was coming from Obi-Wan, the Force knew the young man worried about everything… it was the magnitude of the worry that alerted him and had him jumping to his feet and racing to the infirmary where Obi-Wan was watching over the young girl. Thoughts of everything from the girl waking from her pain killer induced slumber ready for battle, to Jar-Jar having wandered into the room and invoking her warrior wrath raced through his head, but they came to a complete and confused stop when he arrived at the medical lab and saw Obi-Wan standing near the sleeping the girl, looking for all the world like he didn't have a care in the world. Frowning, Qui-Gon stepped into the room. 

The movement caught Obi-Wan's attention and dragged him from his concentration of the medical screen attached to the medical bed where the blonde girl lay. Frowning, he looking at Qui-Gon and sighed in relief.

"Master, I was just going to comm you."

"I could sense your worry, Obi-Wan. What has you so upset? She's still asleep; therefore, you don't have to worry about her being ill again…"

Obi-Wan couldn't help but make a face over that observation.

"No, Master. It's these readings. I've never seen anything like these." He stated as he waved towards the screen next to Buffy.

Qui-Gon, curious now, walked over to see what had the younger Jedi so upset. But what he saw he was not prepared for.

"Sith! – how long has she been like that!" he exclaimed.

Obi-Wan punched the screen and pulled up the logs.

"It's saying that she has been like this since we put her back in the infirmary."

Qui-Gon blanched.

"She's been like for almost thirty-six hours!"

"Yes, Master."

Qui-Gon looked back at the girl who, for all intents and purposes, looked as if she were sleeping peacefully. She didn't twitch, move, nothing. But her readings were saying otherwise.

"…I don't see how it's possible…" Qui-Gin murmured to himself. "She should have woken herself up shortly after it started."

"Which is exactly why I was going to comm you, Master." Obi-Wan stated.

Qui-Gon looked back at his Padawan and could see the worry in his eyes. He knew the same worry was reflected in his own.

"What should we do, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon sighed. "I really do not know. I've never seen anything like this. But I do know that it can not be good." He said as he turned back to the young girl.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and then turned back to the girl himself. He couldn't help but be worried. He had no idea what was going on. And he had no idea what the effects would be. How could one know how the mind would react to being trapped in the grips of a night terror for over a day and a half?


	8. Chapter 6

_Can you help me remember how to smile?_

_Make it somehow all seem worthwhile._

_How on earth did I get so jaded?_

_Life's mysteries seem so fated._

Runaway Train: Soul Asylum

* * *

The fight raged all around her, but she was wholly focused on the woman in front of her. Buffy watched her every move, ducking and dodging the kicks and punches that were coming continuously her way. She was tiring; both she and her opponent knew it. Buffy knew she couldn't hold out much longer.

After all, she wasn't a Hell Goddess… she was only human.

Lost in her thoughts, she left herself open for a moment and Glory seized the opportunity, lunging in and landing a blow that that threw Buffy backwards into the pile of construction debris behind her, knocking the breath out of her and dazing her for a brief time.

Lying on her back, she focused her gaze on Glory as she towered over her, advancing to deliver her death blow. Buffy knew what was coming what was coming and shifted her gaze up and behind the goddess to her sister up on the platform, high above the battle ground. She saw Glory's minion going towards Dawn with the knife that would be used to make her blood run…

Snapping her gaze back to Glory, she was just in time to see her raise a length of pipe and begin to swing it down towards her. She could hear her sister screaming as the pipe came closer and closer. She could hear Willow call out her name as she locked eyes with Glory. Knowing it was inevitable, nothing was going to stop the downward swing, Buffy refused to close her eyes and hide from what was coming…

She whispered softly, "I'm sorry, Dawnie…"

* * *

Buffy woke up with a gasp, her heart pounding furiously. She sat up in her bed and saw that the morning sun was streaming into her room, casting patterns through the curtains onto her floor. She glanced over at her clock and saw that her alarm was about to go off. She reached over and switched it off, not wanting to be bothered by the noise and then lay back on the bed, watching the dust motes float lazily through the air.

She glanced around her room and smiled at the memories held there… until she saw something that made her freeze and her smile fade away.

Her eyes had fallen on her high school graduation photo with Willow. They were both smiling, clutching their diplomas happily. They were both wearing the gold and white scarves that indicated their honor roll status.

Buffy had been lucky to pass her final year of school, let alone attain honor student status.

She sat up and started looking more closely around her room, beginning to spy other differences. There was a large framed picture of her and the Scoobies at what had to be Senior Prom, with Angel as her escort. There was a photo of her and Cordelia, dressed in cheerleading gear, at the State Championships… all around her, there were differences.

She got out of bed and walked to the door of the room. She stood there with her hand on the door knob for a full minute, debating on whether or not to open it, fearing what she might find on the other side. Finally deciding that much too cowardly for the Slayer to be acting, she squared her shoulders, tossed her hair back out of her face and opened the door and marched out into the hallway.

Prepared for the worst, she was actually a tad disappointed to find that nothing seemed to really be out of the ordinary. She could smell coffee brewing and headed towards the kitchen, completely bemused by what was going on. She made it to the kitchen and stopped short by what greeted her. She glanced around to be sure, but yes, this was her kitchen, it looked like her house. What she was having trouble standing, however, was sitting on two of the bar stools right in front of her. She blinked and shook her head, but no, the scene didn't change.

Joyce turned and smiled brightly at Buffy. "Good morning, sweetheart! I was about to come and get you. Do you need a ride to class today? I'm leaving in thirty minutes if you do."

Buffy blinked again. "Ummm…"

"Don't you have chemistry today?" Joyce asked.

Chemistry? She was taking chemistry? She could barely spell chemistry! What was going on here?!

"Buffy, honey, are you ok?"

OK? Was she OK?! That was the million dollar question, now wasn't it? Giles! She needed Giles! Giles would know what was going on. He always knows what the answer to all things 'weird and totally bizarre' was.

"Uhhhh…" she really had no idea what to say. For once, she was completely speechless. Ironically, it was the normalcy of the situation that did it. The phone, she needed to use the phone like right now! There was an explanation for all of this, there had to be! She just needed to call Giles!

"I, uhhh… no. No, I think I'm going to skip class today…uh… Mom…"

Subtle, Buffy. Real smooth. She couldn't help the slight cringe when she noticed that her mother was looking at her oddly. Ok, so she was obviously acting even more strangely than usual. She _so_ needed to speak to Giles.

"I have some extra credit projects that I need to do, so I'm gonna stay home, maybe go see if Giles can help me any."

"Giles?" Joyce asked.

"Yeah. He can probably help me. He's all 'book-y' and stuff…" she trailed off at her mother's expression of puzzlement. "What?"

"You've never mentioned him before. Is he from one of your class?"

Buffy stopped cold in her thoughts. Not good. This was not good at all.

"Mom? I've known Giles for years. You've met him before. I've known him since we moved here from L.A."

"Moved here from…? Honey, are you sure you're feeling all right?" Joyce was looking more and more bewildered.

"Yeah, sure. Why? I feel fine."

"Buffy, I'm a little worried. You're talking about some boy like I know him and moving… honey, what's going on?"

"Mom, we moved here five years ago when you decided to leave Da…" Buffy's attention was again brought to the other individual who was in the room. "Huh. Oh-kay… just how long have we been here, then?"

"We moved here right after your eighth birthday, Buffy! What is wrong with you today?!"

Buffy just stood there with her mouth hanging open in shock. Shaking the feeling off, she bolted over to the phone that hung on the wall and dialed Giles' number. Her hands were shaking so badly that she had to hang up and retry the number three times before she dialed it correctly. She finally got the number dialed and waited in anxious impatience for someone to answer the other end.

"Catherine's Arrangements, how may I help you today?"

Buffy held the phone away from her ear and stared at the receiver like it was a live snake.

"Hello? Hello?" the lady on the other end was sounding impatient.

"Umm…" Buffy wasn't sure what to ask. "Is...uhhh… is Giles there?" she finally stammered out.

"Giles? I'm sorry, sweetie. There's no one here by that name. You must have a wrong number."

Buffy hung up the phone, belatedly realizing that she hadn't apologized or acknowledged the lady on the other end. She stood there with her hand on the phone, thinking.

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Where's Dawnie?"

Dead silence greeted her question. She turned and looked at her mother and saw her look of angry shock.

"Where is she, Mom?"

"I'm not talking about this."

"Mom?"

"Buffy, you know well where Dawn is." The other voice in the room, the one she _so_ didn't want to hear from right now, stated. "I think this game has gone on long enough, young lady."

Buffy couldn't help the snort that came out. "News flash, people! There's no game here! Where is my sister? Where's Dawn?!"

"She died years ago, Buffy! How can you do this? She's the reason we moved here all those years ago… the memories… She drowned in the pool at the house!" Joyce took a shuddering breath. "Now enough! I'm going to work. Hank? – honey? Do you need a ride to the office?"

It was too much. The room was spinning. She had to get out of here! She needed to think! She spun on her heel and dashed out of the room, heading the front door that could be freedom from this madness, hearing her mother _and_ her father calling her name out in alarm. She fumbled with the dead bolt on the front door and finally got it unlocked. She threw open the door and ran out into the sunlight, barefoot and feeling the dew from the grass wetting her feet. She finally came to a stop in the street, panting, bent over with her hands on her knees, crying.

She was too confused and overwhelmed and therefore, she didn't hear the frantic honking until it was too late. It wasn't until her broken body was sailing through the air from the impact with the delivery truck that she even realized she was in danger. She hit the asphalt with enough force that her head cracked down once, twice. She knew she was dying.

The man jumped from the truck and ran to her side. As she closed her eyes, she whispered to him so lowly that he had to put his ear to her mouth to hear her.

"Please, tell Dawnie I'm sorry…"

* * *

Something was horribly wrong. The medical monitors had readings the likes of which he had never seen. He had no idea what was going on. He just knew it couldn't be good. There was no way this could be good.

Obi-Wan sighed and turned away from the girl. They needed to get to Coruscant as soon as possible. The doctors there were much better able to handle this situation that there were here in the Queen's ship. They just didn't have the resources available to them here. He knew Qui-Gon was doing everything he could, but Obi-Wan's instincts told him that it wasn't enough. They needed to get the girl out of the state she as in.

But they were delayed by the need for the part that they had no choice but to stop at Tatooine for. The rim planet was mainly desert. To be honest, he wasn't sure they would be able to find the part that they needed here. But the Force provided what was required… According to Qui-Gon, at any rate. Hopefully the part would be found soon. Qui-Gon had already been gone for several hours with the Queen's handmaid. And Obi-Wan also didn't know what to think about the odd conversation he'd had with his Master about the child Anakin. Something was telling him that the child was going to be a problem, however.

Hearing alarms suddenly going off, he turned back towards the monitors and couldn't help the exclamation of dismay. Her pulse was through the roof, almost to the point of causing a stroke or permanent damage to her heart. Her brain activity was alarming. She was on the verge of flat-lining on every aspect of her vital signs. Something had to be done.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and moved to the head of the medical bed. He knew the fundamentals of Jedi healing, but had never attempted it himself. Qui-Gon had taught him the basics, but that was all. However, he knew that if he didn't try something, even if it was just to calm the girl down somewhat, she would never make it to Coruscant.

Calming himself, relaxing, allowing himself to feel the Force more fully, he placed his hands on each side of the girl's head and concentrated. Going through the steps that his Master taught him, he started the process of joining with the girl's thoughts, entering her memories and dreams, attempting to gain entrance and bring comfort and peace to her mind. When he gained entrance he was shocked to find that hers was a mind that he was already familiar with.

He had been dreaming of her since he first was apprenticed to Qui-Gon.

Buffy woke gasping, drawing breath into a chest that ached. Her throat felt raw and dry, like she had been screaming. She lay where she was, eyes closed and gathered herself and focused on slowing her breathing. She was almost afraid to open her eyes, she had no idea what she was going to find. She had faced so many horrors already; failed Dawnie so many times. She hadn't beaten Glory, she hadn't killed Angelus, she hadn't defeated the Master… Over and over she'd had to face her failures and every time the ones most important to her had paid the price of her failure.

She couldn't open her eyes and face another defeat.

She didn't know what was happening to her or why. She just knew that she couldn't continue on. As much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, she had no choice.

She was afraid. Deeply, terribly afraid.

She slowly became aware of something else. There was something else near her. She slowly opened her eyes and focused on the blackness in the room. She was lying on the cold floor again, in the white shift, but the shift was torn and stained with blood and gore. She rolled to her side and slowly, painfully made her way to her knees, pushing herself to a kneeling position. She hurt everywhere. Deeply, aching in places that she didn't know she could hurt. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and away from her face, flinching at the knotted clumps that she came in contact with and looked around.

She couldn't stop the gasp that escaped from her when she spied the soft light that surrounded the man that was slowly approaching her from the distance.

Struggling, she made her way to her feet, swaying with pain induced weariness. She needed help. She wasn't afraid to ask for it anymore.

Stumbling towards the man, she couldn't almost fell to her knees and would have fallen but he leapt forward and caught her before she collapsed. She clutched at his clothes, almost sobbing in relief that she could feel him, he was real, not a ghost as she had feared.

"Help me, please! I can't take anymore of this! I want to go home!" she pleaded.

"Shhh… sweeting. It's time. You're not alone anymore." She heard the man say.

She looked at him in surprise and it took all of her willpower not to pass out right then and there when she saw him smile softly to her. It was him! He was here! She hadn't seen him in years, not since the battle with Glory, but it was him! She'd know him anywhere.

"Please, get me out of here! Where am I? Who's doing this to me?!"

Obi-Wan looked around perplexed.

"I do not know where we are, but we now have an additional problem, sweeting."

"What would that be?"

"I can not get us out of here. We're both trapped now."


End file.
